Soap



Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES SOAP Anthony J. Lorenz, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Lever Brothers Company, a corporation of Maine No Drawing. Application June 18, 1931, Serial No. 545,367

,6 Claims.

This invention relates to a soap having an antirachitic, factor incorporated therein and to a method for its preparation, and 'more particularly to a soap having beneficial dermatological properties because of the incorporation therein of a sterol containing the antirachitic property.

The present application constitutes a continuation in part of my copending application entitled Irradiated preparation, Serial No. 10 403,117, filed October 28, 1929.

It has heretofore been known to irradiate sterols and substances containing sterols with ultraviolet light in order to impart to such substances anti-rachiticproperties. Such irradiated substances, when administered perorally, are known to be more or less effective in the cure of rickets in animals and in human beings. It has also been proposed to prepare a composition containing irradiated lanolin for use as a plaster in 20 the treatment of pyorrhetic pockets.

I have now discovered, however, that irradiated sterols and substances containing sterols that have been irradiated with ultraviolet or other rays to impart to such sterols an anti-rachitic property, have a beneficial effect when applied to the human skin, or when oils and fats capable of being absorbed by the skin and containing such irradiated sterols are employed in the manufacture of a soap and the soap then used in the 30 usual manner with water for hygienic purposes.

' The soap, obviously, must be one that is compatible with the irradiated or activated sterol to retain and make available the beneficial dermatological properties of the sterol or anti-rachitic 35 factor. The value of tlfis soap is usually somewhat enhanced if its lather is massaged into the skin for three to five minutes, as is often recommended for ordinary toilet soaps.

It is therefore an important object of this in- L vention to provide a soap for human use or for use on animals containing an irradiated sterol and having beneficial dermatological properties.

Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the follow- L ing description and appended claims.

The activation of the sterol for incorporation into the soap-of my invention may be performed in any suitable manner. I prefer, however, to irradiate ergosterol separately by the use of ultraviolet rays either producedartificially, as by the quartz mercury vapor lamp, or as obtained from the sun. The ergosterol is subjected to ultraviolet irradiation until the desired anti- 5 rachitic potency is produced.

In place of ergosterol, other sterols, such as cholesterol, phytosterol, zymosterol or cerevisterol, may be similarly irradiated; or substances, such as vegetable, animal or other oils susceptible of activation, may be employed. 5

'Byultraviolet light is meant light of wave length between about 1500 and 3900 Angstrom units. The irradiation with ultraviolet light in any case is carried out until an effective antirachitic potency is assured. In the case of the irradiation of cholesterol or phytosterol, for instance, the irradiation With ultraviolet light may be carried out until the typical absorption band of cholesterol or phytosterol caused by the activation of these sterols with ultraviolet rays is obtained. Activated cholesterol, for instance, has a maximum absorption band at about 2480' Angstrom units, whereas cholesterol that has not been irradiated has two very distinctive absorption bands with maxima at 2700 and 2820 Angstrom units. I

It is to be understood that rays of shorter wave length, such as the X-ray, and waves of longer wave length, such as the infra red rays, may be used for the irradiation of the sterols under proper conditions. It is also contemplated that cathode rays derived from various sources may be employed for the irradiation of the particular sterol which is to be incorporated in the soap.

Since the anti-rachitic principle, as obtained by the irradiation of ergosterol or other sterols is quite stable even in the presence of alkali at relatively high temperatures, such as are sometimes employed in the process of soap making, there is little, if any, destruction of the added antirachitic factor in the manufacturing operation. Thus the beneficial properties conveyed to the soap by the anti-rachitic content are made available to the human and animal body through skin absorption when the soap is used. 40

The preferred method for the incorporation of the irradiated ergosterol or other sterols in soap is to add the irradiated sterol to the warm soap mass in the crutcher for a thorough mixing before being poured into the frames; or if milled soap is being made, the irradiated sterol is best added to the soap from the drier in the same way and at the same time that the perfume mixture is added. After these materials are thoroughly mixed in this mixer, the mixture is fed into the milling machine and then on into the plodder from which a strip of finished soap is extruded and then cut into cake size, stamped, and wrapped. It will be understood that the irradiated sterol may be incorporated into any type of toilet soap, as for instance, ordinary white toilet soaps. v

I have also found that it is possible to irradiate the finished soap itself by the use of ultraviolet quartz lamps close to the surface of large rollers which carry a thin film of soap on their surface in front of the lamps. Ordinary toilet soap often contains as high as one-half of one percent of unsaponifiable sterols which will acquire a suitable anti-rachitic potency when the soap is properly irradiated. Generally speaking this method of irradiating the soap is more expensive and less adaptable to existing soap making apparatus than is the preferred method of mixing in a separately irradiated ergosterol or other sterol. However, this direct irradiation method will produce desirable results.

The quantity of irradiated ergosterol or other irradiated sterol to be added to the soap or produced in it by direct irradiation of the sterol containing soap will be governed by the anti-rachitic potency desired in the finished product. A soap containing 10 vitamin D ergosterol units per gram has been found to prevent rickets under laboratory conditions, but lower concentrations are often better for general purposes. The unit of anti-rachitic potency referred to is that defined on page 410 of the New and Nonofiicial Remedies by the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (1930 Ed.) of the American'Medical Association.

Although I have found that soaps of my invention do have anti-rachitic properties and are actually capable, when applied in the form of aqueous solutions to a shaved white rat, of curing acute cases of rickets in rats, it is not intended, however, that the soaps of my invention shall necessarily have any anti-rachitic properties as normally used in the ordinary course of human toilet. The advantages derived from the use of soaps of my invention are rather instead those that arise from the beneficial dermatological properties that are possessed by or accompany the anti-rachitic factor, or principle.

While I have described methods of preparing a soap containing an anti-rachitic factor, it will be understood that there are other ways in which such a factor may be produced and incorporated into soap, and the term anti-rachltic factor as used in the claims below is meant to include sucn a factor by whatever means it may be produced.

I claim as my invention:

1. A new composition of matter for use with water for hygienic purposes, comprising a soap having incorporated therein an anti-rachitic factor having beneficial dermatological properties, the soap being compatible with the antirachitic factor to retain and make available such properties upon use.

2. A new composition of matter for use with water for hygienic purposes, comprising a soap having incorporated therein a sterol activated by means of ultra violet light and having beneficial dermatological properties, the soap being compatible with said activated sterol to retain and make available such properties upon use.

3. A new composition of matter for use with water for hygienic purposes, comprising a soap having incorporated therein an irradiated sterol having beneficial dermatological properties, the soap being compatible with said irradiated sterol to retain and make available such properties upon use.

4. A new composition of matter for use with water for hygienic purposes, comprising a soap having incorporated therein an activated ergosterol having beneficial dermatological properties, the soap being compatible with said activated ergosterol to retain and make available such properties upon use.

5. A new composition of matter for use with water for hygienic purposes, comprising a soap having incorporated therein an irradiated ergosterol having beneficial dermatological properties, the soap being compatible with said irradiated ergosterol to retain and make available such properties upon use.

6. A new composition of matter for use with water for hygienic purposes, comprising a soap having incorporated therein a sufficient quantity of an anti-rachitic factor having beneficial dermatological properties to impart to the soap a potency equivalent to about 10 vitamin D ergosterol units per gram of soap. the soap being compatible with the anti-rachitic factor to retain and make available such properties upon use.

ANTHONY J. LORENZ. 

